Greater Des Moines
Polk County, Iowa · EIA plant ID 7985 · Operator: MidAmerican Energy Co
Nameplate576MWSummer 504 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation1,851GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor42%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate7,112Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online2003Runs as baseload
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 34.2 | 1.6% | 15,782 |
| 2004 | 149 | 5.1% | 11,627 |
| 2005 | 679 | 15.8% | 7,730 |
| 2006 | 817.1 | 19.0% | 7,768 |
| 2007 | 1,101.2 | 25.4% | 7,481 |
| 2008 | 1,043.1 | 24.1% | 7,521 |
| 2009 | 338.4 | 7.8% | 7,896 |
| 2010 | 448.9 | 10.3% | 7,819 |
| 2011 | 257.8 | 5.9% | 8,071 |
| 2012 | 541.9 | 12.5% | 7,286 |
| 2013 | 215.3 | 5.0% | 8,090 |
| 2014 | 79.3 | 1.8% | 9,561 |
| 2015 | 176.4 | 4.1% | 8,473 |
| 2016 | 507.2 | 11.7% | 7,896 |
| 2017 | 337.4 | 7.8% | 8,033 |
| 2018 | 638.9 | 14.9% | 7,604 |
| 2019 | 438.6 | 10.3% | 7,463 |
| 2020 | 672.3 | 15.8% | 7,536 |
| 2021 | 1,361.5 | 32.4% | 7,595 |
| 2022 | 1,475.3 | 33.0% | 7,461 |
| 2023 | 2,141.2 | 47.8% | 6,941 |
| 2024 | 2,178.5 | 49.2% | 7,207 |
| 2025 | 1,850.6 | 41.9% | 7,112 |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 190.4 | 159.2 | May 2003 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 190.4 | 163.5 | May 2003 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| ST1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 195.5 | 181 | Dec 2004 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: MidAmerican Energy Co. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| MidAmerican Energy Co | 100.0% | 576 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Pleasant Hill | 180 MW | 0.4 km |
| Des Moines Wastewater Reclamation Fac | 3 MW | 3.1 km |
| Anderson Erickson | 2 MW | 6.4 km |
| River Hills | 128 MW | 8.5 km |
| Archer Daniels Midland Des Moines | 8 MW | 8.9 km |
| Metro Methane Recovery Facility | 11 MW | 15.2 km |